Brazil's Largest Collective Performance: Voting with Books on October 28, 2018

On October 28, 2018, Brazil's presidential runoff election day, an unprecedented collective performance unfolded as hundreds or thousands of citizens went to vote carrying books. This spontaneous, unorganized action, possibly first suggested by singer Criolo who voted with Guimarães Rosa's 'Grande Sertão: Veredas', became a silent symbol of opposition to the pro-gun candidate. Participants described an intense feeling of complicity without words, exchanging affectionate glances and positive nods. The action followed Marina Abramovic's 1970s performance principles: no rehearsal, no predetermined duration, and no repetition. Many posted photos on social media with the hashtag #bibliografia28outubro2018, created by Daniela Name or Jorge Menna Barreto. Celebrities like actors Camila Pitanga, Denise Fraga (with Bertolt Brecht's 'Teatro Completo'), Silvia Buarque (with her grandfather Sérgio Buarque de Hollanda's 'Raízes do Brasil'), and Deborah Secco (with Nelson Rodrigues' 'A vida como ela é') participated. A proposal emerged to donate the books to the Museu da Maré in Rio de Janeiro, overseen by Luiz Antonio Oliveira. The author, a longtime performance art observer who attended Abramovic's 'The Artist is Present' at MoMA in 2010, described it as one of the freest moments of their life, using their body as resistance. The performance's lingering effect is felt whenever someone is seen walking with a book, suggesting it continues.